Monthly Archives: January 2009

I was just looking at the Virginia Beach SPCA’s website when I saw a call for folks to donate their used vegetable oil to help power the VBSPCA’s Neuter Scooter.

If you are not aware of what the Neuter Scooter is, it is just that, a scooter that the VBSPCA uses to do on-site spaying and neutering in areas outside of Virginia Beach. The Virginia Beach SPCA is currently working on making the scooter more environmentally friendly by modifying it so that it can run on bio-fuel (vegetable-based oil). By doing this, the SPCA hopes to save two-thirds of the amount of diesel fuel they are currently using to power the scooter.

In order to keep the Neuter Scooter running so that it can continue serving the Eastern Shore, Chesapeake, Franklin, Portsmouth and Suffolk, the SPCA is asking for folks to donate their used vegetable oil. If you are interested in helping the SPCA reach their goal of 250 gallons of purified vegetable oil, you can bring your used frying oil including vegetable, sunflower, peanut or canola oils in their original containers to the green collection bins located in the parking lot of the Virginia Beach SPCA. You can bring your used vegetable-based oils (no animal-based oils) anytime including when the shelter is closed.

For years the Virginia Beach SPCA has been working towards being more environmentally friendly with their “Poop Polutes” campaign. Now they are going further towards making their operations more sustainable by helping to recycle (reuse) used vegetable oils and at the same time helping to cut their fuel costs.

If you would like more information please contact the VBSPCA’s Development Director, Karla Campbell at development@vbspca.com or 427-0070 Ext. 14.

While reading some artivcles in hamptonroaads.com just now I ran across one entitled, “2008 homicide rates drop 25 percent in Hampton Roads”. I was glad to see soemthing positive especially this reduction in a violent crime like murder. Some Hampton roads cities had the same number or fewer homicides while some saw a sligh increase but overall, these numbers are promising.

There were a total of 98 homicides in 2008 in the Hampton Roads region compared to 131 in 2007. The cities which showed the biggest reduction in homicides were Newport News (down 42.9%), Norfolk (down 42.9%) and Portsmouth (down 5.9%). There were no changes in Chesapeake or virginia Beach and homicide rates actually rose 14.3% in Hampton. Suffolk did not provide any statistics so I am unsure whether homicide rates rose, dropped or stayed the same.

Police sources are attributing this reduction in homicides to having removed certain elements from the local communities. According to Newport News police spokesman, Lou Thurston, “”I think over the year we have successfully removed some of the right people from the community, and I think that has probably helped in lowering the numbers.”

This is good news for the Hampton Roads area. I personally feel better knowing that homicide numbers are declining, hopefully there will be even less this year. I am wondering what the personal and property crime figures from 2008 will say. I also wonder if the current economic problems facing the nation will have an effect on thefts in general in this coming year.